To Deacon, With Love
by Bohemian Storm
Summary: *Chapters 16 and Epilogue added* A seemingly simple victim turns out to be much more than Deacon Frost ever bargained for. Reviews greatly appreciated and adored.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: This is my first Blade fic, so be kind. I just watched Blade again and decided I had to write a fic about Deacon Frost. He's just so bloody cocky. :) I love him. Enjoy and please review.  
  
* * * *   
  
Deacon Frost stared her down in the crowded nightclub, letting his eyes bore into her back, needing to exert some form of power over her even before he had met her. It was a habit he had developed over the years, his exertion of power to let a woman know he owned her even before they had spoken. He had been told by many victims that his eyes were electrical, that sometimes they found it impossible to look away. It was the eyes that always reduced them to simpering waifs without a mind of their own. That was why he always killed them.  
  
The woman moved fluidly through the crowd - mostly vampires, mostly his followers - without a single glance at any of them. She didn't seem to notice the strangled moans coming from corners of his nightclub as women were murdered, slaughtered in the throes of passion. She was intent on only one thing and Deacon turned his head to watch her advance quickly on a young man standing near the bar. With an angry snarl, he shot off the couch and moved quickly to intercept the woman.  
  
She stopped near the young man and ordered a drink, then began to toy with her long, dark hair. Deacon stopped a few steps away and turned his back on the woman, not wanting her to see him following her so closely. He listened carefully, hearing the sound of her drink being set down on the counter. He turned slightly to watch her from the corner of her eye. She was playfully trying to make eye contact with the guy down the bar and failing miserably.   
  
Deacon smiled slightly. It wasn't because she wasn't attractive, Deacon didn't follow ugly women around clubs. It was because the young man at the bar was staring forlornly into his drink and for all the world, looked like he wanted nothing more than to be alone. She was attractive, Deacon had seen her the moment she had walked in the door, alone and dressed to kill. Her black pants sat low on her hips and the red shirt showed off a hard stomach and well toned arms. She was there that night because she wanted to get laid and she would get her wish. But it wouldn't be granted by the man at the bar.  
  
When she failed in catching the young man's eye, she moved closer and leaned against the bar, throwing her hair over her shoulders. Deacon felt a stirring in his chest as he watched her, her sad blue eyes trying desperately not to look quite so lonely. She was failing at that as well.   
  
The young man still didn't notice her, or pretended not to if he did. With a sigh of frustration, she slammed a fist down on the bar, grabbed her drink and walked away. The man looked up, startled that she had hit the bar, then returned morosely to his drink.   
  
"Stupid man," Deacon hissed, gliding by on his way to catch up with the young woman.   
  
She neared the door and angrily grabbed her jacket from the coat check at the front of the nightclub. As her arm swung forward to grab the door, Deacon was there, his cold fingers closing on her arm.  
  
She was startled, a tiny gasp escaped her lips as she stepped back. Deacon smiled gently and led her away from the door. She followed him, partially because she was still surprised and partially because he intrigued her. Unlike his other victims, she broke their eye contact only moments after it was made. Deacon allowed another smile to cross his lips before he spoke.  
  
"He was blind," he murmured. "He didn't see what was right in front of him." One of his hands came up and brushed her hair away from her face. "I see," he told her.  
  
A frown crossed her pretty features. "Cocky, aren't you?" She asked.  
  
Deacon had to laugh at this. Cocky; what an understatement.   
  
"What's your name, love?" He asked.  
  
She raised her chin and stared at him defiantly. "Who's asking?"  
  
* * * *  
  
To be continued . . . (soon) 


	2. Chapter 2

***  
  
Another amused grin stole across his face. "Deacon Frost," he replied and touched her arm.   
  
She stared at him a moment longer, inwardly debating how dangerous he looked. A smile finally graced her face and she shook his hand, "Celestina," she said. "Tina for short."  
  
He smiled and gently kissed her hand. "Celestina, what a beautiful name." His eyes met hers again and she smiled wider, then glanced around the bar. Deacon growled quietly, frustrated with his failure to send her into a fit of giggles like he could with other women.  
  
"Would you like to find a place to sit Tina?" He asked, still holding her hand.  
  
She nodded and searched the club again. "Where? All the couches are taken."  
  
Deacon smiled, then began to stride across the bar, pulling her along. He reached a couch situated in a darkened corner and waved his hand impatiently at the vampires who were sprawled across it. They grumbled between themselves, but stood and dispersed, leaving the couch empty.  
  
Tina smiled approvingly at Deacon and settled contently on the couch. "Neat trick you pulled there. Do you know the owner or something?"  
  
The vampire just smiled and slid onto the couch beside her, letting her believe what she wanted. He motioned to a waitress who scurried over with a piece of paper.  
  
"Rye," he murmured, then looked at Tina.  
  
"Long Island iced tea?" She asked and the waitress nodded and hurried over to the bar. Tina checked her watch, then began to examine her long fingernails. They were painted a very deep red, almost black and Deacon had the sudden urge to take her fingers into his mouth, but restrained himself. He didn't want to scare her away just yet.   
  
"What do you do for a living?" He asked instead, tearing his eyes away from her hands.  
  
She glanced at him and smiled. "I work for a newspaper. Mostly just answering phones and redirecting e-mails to the right people, but sometimes I get to write a column or help out with an article." Her eyes met his again and Deacon finally felt the connection he always made with his victims. "What do you do?" She asked.  
  
Without noticing, he ran the tip of his tongue over a fang, then smiled at her. "I'm involved in politics. You know how it is, trying to get the old guys to listen to the new ways of life."  
  
Tina nodded slowly, not fully understanding what he meant. Before she could ask, their drinks arrived and she smiled thankfully at the waitress. Deacon took his drink and placed it on the table in front of them, ignoring it for the moment. Tina raised the straw to her mouth and began to sip her drink nervously. He smiled; he made her nervous.  
  
"What are you so afraid of?" He asked, leaning close and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.  
  
"Afraid?" Tina laughed. "Where did you get the idea that I was afraid?"  
  
"You seem nervous," Deacon replied.  
  
"Maybe I am. But being nervous and being afraid are two very different things." She put her drink on the table and crossed her arms. "What reason would I have to be afraid of you?"  
  
More than you know, Deacon thought, but shrugged instead. "I don't know. Depends on what you're scared of."  
  
Tina frowned. "What?"  
  
"What scares you? Witches? Werewolves? Vampires?"  
  
Another laugh escaped her mouth. "The supernatural doesn't frighten me. How can you be scared of things that don't exist? Real life; that's what scares me."  
  
Deacon moved closer to her on the couch. "You don't believe in vampires?"  
  
"Why?" Tina asked. "Do you?"  
  
He laughed, then shook his head. "No. I'm just surprised, that's all. Most women aren't smart enough to be scared of the real things. At least, none of the women I've ever met."  
  
"Well, I suppose that's where I differ from the other women you've met."  
  
Deacon nodded. "I suppose it is."  
  
They sat in silence as Tina studied the other patrons of the bar. Deacon sat beside her, eyes closed, imagining what it would be like to fuck her and then suck her dry. He had mental images already of her naked body stretched out on his bed, slicked with her own blood. Those beautiful blue eyes would be wide and unseeing, her hair splayed out around her head on his pillow. He would want to preserve her like that, remember how she looked as she died. It would be incredible to see how it panned out when he finally did it.   
  
***  
  
More to come soon . . . 


	3. Chapter 3

* * * *  
  
Deacon's mind turned to other things, her legs, her long fingernails that were tapping gently against the arm of the couch. His eyes travelled upward, over the swell of her breasts to her throat. He could see the tiny pulse there and forced himself to look away. If he went crazy on her now he'd never be able to see what the rest of her body looked like. As he studied the rest of her body, Deacon felt himself begin to grow hard and he shifted slightly, trying to adjust himself.   
  
Tina turned toward him and smiled gently. "Am I boring you? You should have just let me leave the bar and found someone who could entertain you better."  
  
Deacon's hand went to her face and he cupped her cheek. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm enjoying your company very much. I was just wondering if you wanted to go dance."  
  
Tina's eyes went to the crowded dance floor for the first time that night and she watched the dancers move to the pounding music. It wasn't exactly the kind of music she normally danced to, but the man sitting beside her was unusually attractive and if he wanted to dance, she would dance.  
  
"Sure." She smiled and stood up.  
  
Deacon followed, then took her hand and led her toward the dance floor. He pulled her into the crowd, people creating a path for them to move through. Tina watched in amazement as they moved aside, seeing Deacon coming and she decided he had to know someone important or that he was someone important in this club.  
  
When he decided they were far enough into the crowd, Deacon turned and pulled Tina close to him. The music throbbed through both their bodies and his muscles tightened with the sudden flare of heat her skin brought. They danced silently, Tina with a smile on her face and Deacon with a look of serious concentration on his. His mind kept wandering back to the mental picture he had created of Tina on his bed, nude and dead.   
  
He trailed his fingertips down her arm and she shivered under his touch, then smiled at him. He tossed a casual grin in her direction just as he heard a hiss ripple through the crowd. The next grin he shot in her direction was genuine and full of promises.  
  
"Wait until you see what happens next," he whispered, bringing his lips to her ear. "It'll drive you wild."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Tina asked. "What is it?"  
  
Deacon chuckled. "You'll see," he said.  
  
He tried to lose himself in the music once more, but his mind was focused on the pipes overhead. The thought of what was to come sent waves of pleasure down his spine, realizing part of his fantasy would come true in only a few brief seconds.  
  
Deacon saw the sprinklers above begin to move and he glanced down at Tina again. "Get ready," he cried and hoped with everything he had inside of him that she'd drop dead from fear right there so he'd be able to fully enjoy her.  
  
Blood sprayed from the sprinklers, soaking the patrons below. The few humans that were left began to scream and Deacon looked at Tina, hoping to see the same.   
  
Instead she was standing with her hands on her hips, looking a little less than impressed. She was drenched in blood and the very image turned Deacon on even more, but he couldn't understand why she wasn't terrified. She should have been screaming for his mercy already.  
  
* * * * 


	4. Chapter 4

* * * *  
  
Tina did scream then, but it wasn't what he had hoped for. "Just fucking great!" She shrieked at him. She held up her jacket and shook it in his face. "This is leather you asshole! If you've ruined my jacket . . ."  
  
Deacon stopped dancing to stare at her. The girl was being showered in blood and all she was concerned with was her leather jacket.   
  
"Christ," she mumbled under her breath and fished for something in one of her pockets. "This is ridiculous."  
  
With a roar of frustration Deacon grabbed Tina's shoulders and buried his face in her throat. Just as he got his first taste of her blood, her knee connected solidly with his groin.  
  
"Jesus Christ!" She cried. "Chill out Deacon."  
  
He groaned, then stared angrily at her. "You're supposed to be scared."  
  
She snorted. "I told you, the supernatural doesn't frighten me."  
  
"You said why be afraid of what doesn't exist." Deacon grabbed her arm. "News flash sweetie. We exist."  
  
Tina laughed then, she threw back her head and laughed hard. When she had finally caught her breath and was staring at him again he saw a dangerous glint in her eye. "New flash sweetie," she said to him, "I know you exist. And I've been hunting your kind since I was twelve." In an instant she was holding a silver stake in one hand. "Let's dance," she taunted.  
  
Deacon came after her with a snarl, his fist barely missing her jaw. She dodged his punch and retaliated with one of her own. It smashed into his cheek and Deacon growled, shaking her off. He kicked her hard in the stomach and Tina doubled over for a brief moment. It was long enough for Deacon to slam his fists down onto her back. She slipped on the blood slicked floor and fell with a splash.   
  
Tina flipped onto her back and thrust her stake into the chest of the vampire that had loomed over her the moment she had fallen. He screamed and turned into ash as Tina stood once more. His ashes clung to the wet blood that shone on her face. With an angry snarl of her own, Tina spun into a high kick that caught the edge of Deacon's jaw. He stumbled backward and she pummelled his stomach with both her fists, then arched her arm upward to bring her stake down.  
  
Deacon grabbed her wrist and twisted, hearing bones snap and crunch against each other. Tina was forced to her knees as he crushed her wrist in his hand. His smile grew with every anguished cry from the vampire hunter and her silver stake clattered to the floor as he squeezed.   
  
He wasn't prepared for the leg she swept under his feet and his smiled faded as he crashed painfully to the floor. Tina stood and reached for her jacket again with her good hand. Deacon knew what was coming even before she had it out.  
  
"Down!" He screamed and the few vampires that heard him ducked to the floor.  
  
A spray of silver bullets ripped into the first dozen vampires in front of Tina. They screamed and burst into ash as she let more bullets fly into the crowd. Blood flew and the vampire hunter held her finger steady on the trigger of her semi-automatic weapon.  
  
By the time Deacon was on his feet half the vampires in the club were dead and the other half were running. Tina turned on him and slammed the end of her gun against his chest.  
  
"Whoa, calm down there sweetheart," he murmured. "No killing your date until after we get back to my place."  
  
They stood alone in the club, blood still spraying from the ceiling. Deacon stared at the vampire hunter and stirred restlessly. To his eyes, she was a vision of beauty, drenched in blood, her hair hanging wetly in her eyes. She wore the remains of vampires on her skin, grey flecks that stood out in sharp contract to the red of her skin.  
  
Tina grinned, her blue eyes maniacal. "Blade sends his love," she said, then squeezed the trigger. Her gun clicked, the chamber empty.  
  
"Shit!" She screamed, then ducked the fist that Deacon had sent her way. She was too slow and his hand connected with her jaw, sending her backward. Tina hit a table and rolled over it, hopping to her feet on the other side.  
  
Deacon was by her side in an instant though he barely missed the kick she had aimed at his head. He grabbed the wrist he had broken and twisted it causing Tina to scream and fall to her knees again. As he twisted, she rammed her other fist into his stomach, then swung her legs upward and kicked him in the ribs.   
  
He stumbled backward and she faced him, fists up and muscles tensed. They stared each other down, blue eyes on blue, daring the other to make a move.   
  
Deacon feigned a punch to her face, then kicked out her knee instead. Tina collapsed and Deacon was on her an instant. He slammed his fist into her face, then picked her up by the throat and threw her across the bar. She hit a table and crashed to the floor in a heap. The vampire reached her in seconds and kicked her once in the face, then slammed his foot into her ribs.  
  
"Why did Blade send you?" He hissed, leaning toward her.  
  
Tina grinned through her bleeding face. "A little birthday present. Apparently tomorrow's the anniversary of the day you were turned. We wanted to see if we could kill you before you could add another candle to your cake."  
  
"Well maybe I'll leave Blade a little message myself," Deacon said. "How do you think your broken and battered body would affect the daywalker?"  
  
Tina shrugged. "I'm sure he's seen worse." Another smile crossed her face. "Do your worst Frost, I'm not scared of you."  
  
Deacon glared at her a moment longer, then hauled her to her feet. "If I killed you, Blade might mourn but he would move on. If I keep you . . ."  
  
"You're not keeping me, you fuck," Tina spat at him.  
  
The vampire grinned happily and leaned in to lick the blood off her cheek. Mixed with the blood from the sprinklers was her own and it slid down his throat warmly. "I'm keeping you," he confirmed, then dragged Tina out of the club.  
  
  
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	5. Chapter 5

Notes: Whoops, I forgot to do this at the beginning of the story. :) Blade, Deacon Frost and Quinn don't belong to me. They're property of whoever created them. I'm not sure who it is, but it's not me! I do own Tina though. Don't sue me, I'm just a poor university student with no money.  
  
* * * *  
  
Deacon paced his bedroom impatiently, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his pants. He had showered and changed out of the clothes he had worn to the club and was now dressed in black pants and a black shirt. Tina was tied to a chair near the window, something he had managed to do only after knocking her out. She was still unconscious and Deacon was beginning to worry. If he had killed her, or damaged her permanently he would never be able to use her against Blade.   
  
"Deac?" A voice called from the door and he turned to see Quinn standing there.  
  
"Fuck off," Deacon growled.  
  
"What the hell's your problem?" Quinn asked, coming into the room.   
  
"I said fuck off," Deacon replied.  
  
Quinn frowned, then shifted his gaze to Tina. "Aw shit man, you brought home a pet and didn't tell me?" He walked toward her and knelt down to stare at her face. "She's hot dude. Are ya willing to share?"  
  
"She's not a pet," Deacon told him. "She's insurance."  
  
Quinn looked confused and he coughed uncomfortably. "Insurance? Like on your car?"  
  
"Yes, like on my fucking car!" Deacon yelled. "Christ Quinn, you amaze me sometimes. How is it possible for one vampire to be so bloody stupid?"  
  
"Lay off Deac, I was just asking," Quinn mumbled and turned away.  
  
"She's insurance against Blade," Deacon explained quietly. "He sent her but as long as he stays away, I keep her alive. The second he hurts one of my familiars of one of my men and I'll kill her. If he tries to come after me, then I'll turn her."  
  
Quinn grinned. "You're a smart man Deacon. That's why you're the leader."  
  
"Your leader almost got himself killed tonight," Tina said quietly.  
  
Quinn chuckled and looked over at her. "I doubt it sweet thing. You think you could kill Deac?"  
  
The other vampire cleared his throat and tossed a half smile in Quinn's direction. "She almost did amigo. Big fucking gun right against my chest, isn't that right sweetheart? She forgot the extra clip tonight I guess."  
  
Quinn snickered. "Holy shit man, you almost let a chick take you out?"  
  
"She's good," Deacon said with a snarl. "Piss me off again and I'll set her loose on you."  
  
"What am I, your watch dog?" Tina asked with a hint of sarcasm.   
  
"Get out Quinn," Deacon demanded.  
  
As the other vampire closed the door, Deacon went across the room to Tina. "Look, I'm planning on keeping you here for a very long time. Months at the very least and I thought you might want to get that blood off you."  
  
Tina raised an eyebrow. "You're going to let me shower?"  
  
"Well, not by yourself."  
  
She laughed harshly. "Forget it. I'm not showering with you."  
  
Deacon rolled his eyes angrily. "You can keep your fucking clothes on for all I care. I just thought I'd do something halfway decent for you."  
  
"Will you keep me tied up?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Tina sighed and he saw the resignation in her eyes. "Fine," she consented. "Just as long as you get all the blood out of my hair."  
  
A brief smile crossed Deacon's face and he nodded. "Of course." He knelt behind the chair and began to loosen the restraints that held her there, being careful not to remove the ropes around her ankles or wrists. When he was finished he went back to the front of the chair and lifted Tina carefully over his shoulder.  
  
"How am I supposed to stand?" She asked as he carried her to the bathroom.  
  
"You'll find a way," Deacon replied, then placed her inside the shower. "Are you sure you want to shower with your clothes on? They're covered in blood too."  
  
Tina looked down at herself and sighed. "You're right, as much as I hate to admit it. Take off my shirt and pants but if you even try to remove anything else and I will kill you."  
  
"What makes you think I'd want to?" Deacon asked, then turned her around to deal with her restraints again. He tied one of her arms to the bar in the shower and left the other free to remove to shirt. Then he tied up that arm and removed the other one to loop the shirt over that arm and her head. Without any hint of resistance Tina let him tie her wrists together again.  
  
Deacon helped her sit on the floor of the shower, then untied her ankles and held them firmly in one hand as he worked her pants off with the other. His eyes ran appreciatively up her body and Tina rolled her eyes.  
  
"Keep your hands to yourself," she said.  
  
Deacon grinned, then tossed her pants aside and tied her ankles together again. "You surprise me sweetheart. I thought you'd be a little more daring than white cotton."  
  
"Hey Deacon, how about you stop staring at my underwear and fuck off?"  
  
He grinned wider. "I was just saying . . ."  
  
"Well stop saying and wash my hair," Tina spat at him.  
  
"My pleasure sweetheart." Deacon unbuttoned his own shirt and threw it on the floor beside her bloodstained clothes, then turned on the shower and moved Tina until she was standing under the hot spray. He reached for the bottle of shampoo and poured some into his hands, then stepped closer and began to work it through her hair.  
  
Being this close to her, Deacon could smell her underneath the overpowering scent of the shampoo. He could smell her blood still clinging to her skin, he could smell a hint of strawberry body lotion and the smell of alcohol and smoke. As the water poured over her though, all these scents were washed away and replaced with one that was completely her own.   
  
Tina closed her eyes as shampoo began to slide down her scalp and into her face, then leaned back into the spray. Deacon's hands were ice cold compared to the hot water, but she barely noticed the temperature.   
  
As the water stripped away layers of blood, Deacon saw the wounds he had inflicted on her and without thinking he winced. Her lip had been split open and a dark bruise was beginning to grow around her eye. The knee he had kicked out was swollen and purple but her wrist was the worst. It hung limply behind her, lumps under her skin where there shouldn't have been lumps. After he cleaned her Deacon decided he would take her to see a doctor and get her wrist set. He didn't want her in constant pain, not if he expected to keep her around.  
  
"We have to get a cast on your wrist," he whispered and Tina jumped. She hadn't expected him to be so close to her face.  
  
She glanced down at it and managed a smile. "Looks pretty bad, doesn't it?"  
  
"It must feel bad," Deacon said.  
  
Tina shrugged. "I've had worse things done to me." She looked down at herself and nodded toward her left arm. "You missed some blood."  
  
Deacon smiled, then lathered soap over her arm and washed away the blood quickly. He reached behind her and turned off the water, then lifted her out of the shower. She shivered and Deacon wrapped a towel around her shoulders quickly.  
  
"Something to wear," he murmured, then disappeared into his bedroom again. He came back a moment later holding a pair of faded jeans and a white, gauzy shirt. "I figure you two are about the same size."  
  
"Your girlfriend?" Tina asked.  
  
Deacon shrugged. "I suppose that's what you'd call her. Not that I limit myself."  
  
"Won't she miss her jeans?"  
  
"She never wears them anymore. I can buy her new ones if she decided to be a bitch about it," he said, then helped Tina quickly into the jeans.  
  
"I'm not wearing that shirt," she said, as he held it up for her.  
  
Deacon frowned. "Why not?"  
  
"I've worn band aids with more coverage than that. Find me something real," she told him.  
  
He sighed. "She isn't exactly a modest woman. This was the best I could find."  
  
Tina shrugged. "Well, then find something better."  
  
With a growl, Deacon turned back into the bedroom. Tina heard him rummaging through closets and drawers, trying to find her something to wear and she smiled in amusement.   
  
He came back wearing dry pants and holding a black shirt of his own. "It's either this or nothing," he said, holding it up for her.  
  
Tina nodded. "Good enough."  
  
As Deacon pulled the shirt over her shoulder and began to button it, his smell rushed over her. As a vampire hunter she had been trained to heighten her senses and she could smell things that most normal humans couldn't. His shirt smelled exactly like he had in the bar; almost human. He had covered his vampirism so well, Tina was forced to wonder if he really wanted to be the monster he was.   
  
Deacon stepped away from her, leaving the top two buttons undone and Tina glanced at him, her eyebrows raised. He grinned and shrugged, the knelt to untie her ankle.  
  
"I'm not carrying you down to the doctor," he explained.  
  
"He's in the same building?"  
  
Deacon glanced up at her. "Everything is in this building. I have the whole fucking world at my fingertips from here." He stood and looped the rope around his arm, then pulled gently on her elbow. "C'mon. The elevator is through here."  
  
They walked through the apartment, Tina limping slightly but her eyes were wide as she stared at the place where Deacon lived. It was enormous, expensive for sure, decorated in simple lines and colours. It was very modern and through an huge picture window, Tina could see a pond with yellow rubber ducks floating on the water.  
  
"Nice touch," she murmured.  
  
"I like ducks," Deacon replied, then pulled her into the elevator. The doors closed silently behind them and they began their descent through the building.  
  
* * * * 


	6. Chapter 6

* * * *  
  
The doctor sighed as he set Tina's wrist, rearranging more bones in a hand than he had ever thought possible. She was in pain, that much was obvious by the agonized expression on her face. What the doctor found even more surprising was that her other hand was closed around Deacon Frost's fingers and she was squeezing tightly. The vampire occasionally patted her arm reassuringly and it marvelled the doctor at how he was acting. This vampire before him had to be an imposter. This was not Deacon Frost.  
  
"Mind blowing," the doctor murmured, finally satisfied that he had realigned her bones properly.   
  
"What is?" Tina asked, breathlessly.  
  
"How so many bones could break." The doctor shook his head. "What could have done this to you? Whatever did has got to be very powerful."  
  
Deacon grinned, "Why thank you Doc. I didn't know you thought so highly of me."  
  
The doctor rolled his eyes. "Frost. I should have known it was you."  
  
"She's a vampire hunter Doc, she would have killed me," Deacon explained.  
  
"Ah, she hunts our kind?" The doctor asked. "And yet you have brought her into your home, have given her your clothes to wear and are giving her free medical attention."  
  
Deacon sighed. "She's insurance. Blade sent her to kill me and if I keep her around I can guarantee Blade won't come after us."  
  
Tina laughed. "You think that he cares about me that much? We're friends yeah, but if it comes down to my life in order to kill you, he'll sacrifice me for the greater good."  
  
Deacon snorted. "The greater good. You make him sound like some kind of God. He's no God sweetie, he's a fucking scumbag. He's lower than humans because he could be like me and he chooses not to. What the fuck is that?"  
  
Tina glanced away. "Lower than humans? What are we Frost? Cattle?"  
  
He grinned, "Cattle. Good comparison."  
  
She sighed. "Piss off Frost."  
  
The doctor said nothing, just continued to put the cast on her wrist. The room fell silent and Tina slowly untangled her fingers from Deacon's. She couldn't explain why she had grasped his hand for comfort, but she had and he had let her. He was a twisted, sick animal and yet he was so kind to her. He could have left her tied to the chair, sticky with blood, her broken wrist throbbing angrily. He could have let her die like that and he didn't. He took precautions to make sure she was comfortable and Tina didn't understand why.  
  
"Hey sweetheart, why do you call me Deacon sometimes and Frost others?" He asked suddenly.  
  
Tina shrugged. "I think I call you Frost whenever you piss me often. Which happens to be often."  
  
"In other words, I'd better get used to hearing you call me Frost?"  
  
Tina nodded. "In other words."  
  
The doctor just sighed and rolled his eyes again. He hoped that Deacon Frost knew what he was doing, bringing a vampire hunter into their midst. The elders would kill him if they found out and if she ever got loose after healing Deacon could kiss most of the vampires in this building goodbye.   
  
As the doctor finished setting her wrist, he watched Deacon and the girl interact. There was something there, something more than their natural competitiveness. They understood each other, on some primal level and because of this understanding they got along well. They smiled at each other sometimes like they were friends even. The doctor didn't pretend to understand. He just kept his mouth shut and worked on her cast.  
  
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	7. Chapter 7

* * * *  
  
As the sun rose the next morning Deacon manually closed the steel shutters he had installed for the windows in his apartment, casting darkness over the entire top floor of the building. Lamps turned on automatically throughout the apartment and Tina looked up in surprise when the living room lights turned off.   
  
Her good hand was handcuffed to the arm of a chair and her feet were still tied. Deacon had turned on his television for her but the program was boring and held her interest for only a few minutes at a time. With Deacon gone Tina was examining what she could of the apartment very closely, looking for a way out if she could break her restraints. The ropes wouldn't be too much of the challenge, but unless she wants to take the heavy chair with her, the handcuffs would have to go. If she tried to escape, the handcuffs would be the most difficult to deal with.  
  
"All closed up," Deacon announced, entering the room.  
  
Tina glanced at him and smiled. "Are you ever going to let Blade know you have me?"  
  
Deacon frowned. "What brought this on?"  
  
She shrugged. "I'm just thinking. If you're trying to use me as insurance you'd better let him know that I'm not dead or turned. If I don't show up within the next few days and you don't contact him he's going to come after you."  
  
"I was going to do it tonight," Deacon said, "but if you're that impatient we'll do it now." His eyes had turned cold and he opened the laptop computer that was sitting on his coffee table.   
  
"How are you going to contact him?"  
  
"I have a connection to every computer in the city through this. I've contacted him before through Whistler's computer, we can talk and he'll be able to see you," Deacon explained, fidgeting with the tiny video camera on the table. "He'll know I'm not lying."  
  
A few moments later Tina heard Whistler's voice pour over the speakers and saw his face appear on the screen. He looked angry and shocked that Deacon had contacted them, but after grumbling for a few seconds he went to get Blade.  
  
"Act scared at least, will you?" Deacon snarled at her. Tina shrunk away from the sudden change in his voice and he smiled coldly. "Better."  
  
Blade's face filled the screen a moment later and Tina heard him ask, "What now Frost?"  
  
Deacon smiled. "I met someone very interesting last night Blade. Seems you sent her to kill me."  
  
"Well, seeing as you're not dead I'm guessing she is."  
  
Deacon chuckled. "Far from it. She's sitting right across the room from me now."   
  
"Tina?" Blade's voice came over the speakers and Deacon nodded to her.  
  
"I'm okay Blade. A little banged up but . . ." she swallowed hard, "but Deacon's taking good care of me."  
  
"What do you want for her Frost? Money? You know I don't have any."  
  
The vampire laughed again. "I don't want money Blade, I just want you and your buddy to move along. Get out of my city. If you leave, I'll let her live. But if I get word from any of my familiars that you've been tracking them or hurting them, I'll hurt her just as badly as you hurt them. You kill any of my men and she dies. If you try to come after me, I'll turn her into a vampire. Got the terms Blade? Need me to write them down for you?"  
  
Tina heard the vampire hunter grunt unhappily. "And what makes you think I give a shit about that girl?"  
  
Deacon smiled and turned the camera in Tina's direction.   
  
"Beg him to stay away," he hissed, covering the microphone. "Beg him."  
  
Tina stared at Deacon stubbornly.  
  
"If you don't do it, I'll kill you the second I break this connection." He bared sharp fangs in her direction. "Don't think that just because I've been nice to you means I won't fucking kill you."  
  
"Fine," she hissed. Deacon took his hand away from the microphone and Tina tried to stare tearfully at Blade's face. "Listen to him Blade, please. He's not kidding around, he'll kill me if you do anything." She held up her broken wrist. "He already smashed my bones, I'm sure he'll do it again. If you want me to live, stay away."  
  
Blade stared back and he sighed miserably. "I'll stay away for as long as I can, but Frost is planning something big Tina. When it comes down to it and he pulls out all the stops you know I'm gonna have to come for him."  
  
She nodded. "I know."  
  
Deacon snarled angrily and turned the camera back to him. "You come after me and Tina becomes like me." He closed the computer and broke the connection, then stalked across the room to Tina. "What the fuck was that? You don't say 'I know' you beg for your fucking life!" H grabbed her hair and pulled hard. "You don't get it, do you? I'm a vampire and when it comes down to it, I'd rather just eat you than keep you around. Don't mess with me you little bitch, I'm not Blade, I won't take your shit."  
  
"And Blade won't take your shit," Tina growled at him.  
  
Deacon yanked her hair and she cried out, tears springing to her eyes.  
  
"Listen to me one more time. You don't fuck with me and I won't fuck with you. Keep your head down, your mouth shut and do what I tell you and you'll live. For how long, I couldn't say but it won't be much longer if you keep pissing me off."  
  
Tina cocked her head and smiled. "You forget quickly don't you Deacon? Losing your memory in your old age?"  
  
He let go of her hair and stared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"You already bit me. At the club before we fought. You tasted my blood."  
  
"Stupid bitch," Deacon barked. "For a vampire hunter you sure don't know much. I have to take you to the brink of death. Your body has to physically begin to shut down its organs, your heart has to stop beating before you can be turned into a vampire. I can't just scratch you with my teeth and be done with it. It's more complicated than that."  
  
"How interesting," Tina said dryly.  
  
Deacon's hand shot out and he slapped her hard across the face. The skin over her cheekbone split and a thin trickle of blood spilled down her face.  
  
"Don't fuck with me," he warned, then went to his front door and left the apartment.   
  
Tina was left alone, handcuffed to a chair with blood seeping down her face. Her eyes narrowed angrily as she thought about what Deacon had done to her. Her plans for escaping left her mind and a smile made its way across her face. She was going to make his life a living hell and when she was finished, she would kill him.  
  
* * * *  
  
Notes: I'm on a roll today. :) Three chapters of this uploaded and one chapter of another fic. Enjoy. 


	8. Chapter 8

* * * *  
  
Deacon sighed angrily to himself as he sat in front of a computer in the basement. He had copied down the symbols from the pages of the book of Arabus and was now desperately trying to translate them but nothing he did seemed to work. The computer couldn't find a match to the long dead language or anything remotely close to it. It frustrated him to no end. It also frustrated him that he couldn't take his mind off the vampire hunter locked in his apartment on the top floor.   
  
He kept seeing her in his mind; her long legs, her dark hair and blue eyes. The way she had trusted him so completely in the shower and he hadn't been able to do the same in return. He didn't want to be thinking about her but he was and his mind refused to let him block her out or wander to another topic. It wanted to think about Tina and only her.   
  
With a growl deep in his throat, Deacon turned off the computer and hunched down into his chair. Had he made a mistake in taking Tina as insurance? Would she really turn out to be useful or would she just turn his life into a confusing mess? As he thought about his options, there was sharp rap at the door beside him and Quinn stepped in a moment later.  
  
"Deac, man, I have to talk to you about that chick you've up got in your place."  
  
"What?" Deacon asked, his eyes still ahead.  
  
"Well, she clubbed me in the head with her fucking cast," Quinn said.  
  
Deacon's eyes widened and he turned around in the chair to see blood smeared on one side of Quinn's face. His lip was split and a huge bruise had spread over the side of his cheek. Deacon knew he would heal quickly, but the other vampire was obviously angry.  
  
"What did you do to her?" Deacon asked, his amusement evident in his voice.  
  
"Nothing man!" Quinn exclaimed. "I swear to God Deac, I just went in there to get something and I walked by her and she just clubbed me."  
  
"She's chained to a fucking chair Quinn, you had to have been pretty close to get whacked upside the head," Deacon responded.  
  
"Fuck you man, I don't do shit!" Quinn yelled, then stomped angrily from the room.  
  
Still smiling, Deacon rose from his chair and went to the elevator. He had to see Tina and whatever it was Quinn had tried to do to her.  
  
* * * *  
  
The elevator doors slid open and Deacon stepped into his apartment, prepared for the tirade of angry words that were sure to come from Tina's mouth. He had let Quinn enter his apartment so it was partially his fault that the vampire had tried to pull something on her. Instead though, the apartment was silent. The lights had been turned off in the living room and Deacon frowned.  
  
He entered the room and flipped the switch on the wall, revealing exactly what it was Quinn had tried to do. Tina was barely conscious, the shirt Deacon had given her was unbuttoned and the jeans were unzipped. Long scratches marked her chest and belly, marks made by the very light pressure of a knife.  
  
That wasn't the worst. The worst was Tina's face. Whatever Deacon had done to her the night before, Quinn had magnified ten times. Her eye was swollen shut, the bruise around it almost black in colour and thick abrasions decorated her hairline. Where her skin had split when Deacon had slapped her, Quinn had decided to rip back her skin. Blood was still streaming down her cheek, soaking into the shoulder of the shirt she wore.  
  
"Oh shit, Tina," Deacon went to her and took her face in his hands. "Tina, can you hear me?"  
  
"I fucking hear you Deacon," she murmured, staring at him through the eye that wasn't swollen shut. "Take a look at what your lackey did to me. He wanted to get some from me and when he couldn't he got a little pissed off."  
  
"Oh shit, I'm sorry," Deacon said, unchaining her hand and lifting her out of the chair. "I need to get you clean again, changed and then I'll leave you in the bed. I'll fucking kill him Tina, I swear I will."  
  
"Why? Isn't this what you wanted?" She coughed, then stared at him. "Didn't you send him?"  
  
"No," Deacon placed her on his bed and stared back at her, "I didn't know he even came up here. He found me a few minutes ago and said you hit him so I came to see why. I had no idea, you have to believe me."  
  
"You're a fucking vampire," Tina said tiredly. "Why should I believe anything you say?"  
  
Deacon couldn't find anything to say to that and went to work cleaning her once more instead. He didn't know why he wanted her to believe him so badly, but he did. He wouldn't have sent Quinn to hurt her, he would never have hurt her this badly himself no matter what he threatened.  
  
He laughed quietly at himself. *You're going soft Deacon,* he thought to himself. *You're going fucking soft.* And even as he searched his mind, he couldn't explain why.  
  
* * * * 


	9. Chapter 9

* * * *  
  
An hour later Tina was clean and calm, dressed in a new shirt and the same jeans, sleeping peacefully in Deacon's bed. He had managed to handcuff her hand to the bars that made up his headboard and still leave her enough room to sleep comfortably. Without knowing why, Deacon kissed her cheek before leaving his apartment in search of Quinn. He was going to make the other vampire pay for what he did.   
  
He found Quinn three floors down, the area that most of the other vampires shared for parties, drinking and the pets they brought home. The vampire had a young woman kneeling between his legs, kissing her way down his chest when Deacon grabbed her by the hair and threw her aside. She shrieked in terror as another vampire lifted her off the ground and ran off with her to dark corner.  
  
"What the fuck was that?" Quinn shouted, standing up.  
  
Deacon grabbed Quinn's face and pushed him violently back down to the couch he had been sitting on. With an angry look marring his features Quinn tried to stand again. This time Deacon grabbed him by the throat, turned him around and slammed him against the wall.  
  
"You fuck with her and you fuck with me," Deacon said.   
  
"What are you talking about man? I told you I didn't do anything-"  
  
"Shut up," Deacon said, raising his finger. "Just shut up. I've seen Quinn, I've seen her face, her shirt unbuttoned. What the fuck did you think you were doing? I told you; she's insurance. We need her healthy."  
  
"I just wanted a taste," Quinn said.  
  
"Taste someone else. You don't touch her, you don't lay a bloody finger on her, you don't step into the air she breathes. If you do, I will kill you," Deacon said calmly. "If you look at her the wrong way, or say something stupid to her, I will cut off your fucking balls. Do you get that Quinn? I'm not sure if those will regenerate."  
  
"Yeah, I get it."  
  
"Good." Deacon let go of his throat and turned to walk away.  
  
"What happened to you man?" Quinn asked. "You want her that badly that you can't even share? Or have you just gone soft?"  
  
Deacon fingered the silver stake he had taken from Tina's jacket, then turned toward Quinn with any angry roar. He grabbed Quinn's arm and shoved the stake through the palm of his hand, pinning it to the wall. The other vampire screamed in agony and writhed, trying to pull his hand free.  
  
"Don't question me Quinn or the next time I do this, the stake will go through your heart," Deacon warned, then pulled the stake back. "I said leave her alone. You don't need to know why or how and even what I'm planning on doing with her. All you need to know is that I said so."  
  
With a satisfied smile Deacon turned and went back the way he had come. He doubted he would be having any more trouble from Quinn or the other vampires who had witnessed their confrontation. News spread fast in the vampire underworld, no one would be messing with Deacon Frost anymore.   
  
* * * * 


	10. Chapter 10

* * * *   
  
Deacon returned to his apartment, a smile still on his face from his encounter with Quinn. He turned off the lights as he walked through the living room and entered the bedroom. His body was calling for sleep, something it rarely needed but he wouldn't deny it. He stripped off his shirt and pants, then crawled into the bed and pulled the sheets over his body. He had just barely drifted off when Tina moved next to him.  
  
"Deacon?" She asked.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Did you kill Quinn?"  
  
"No," he replied. "I hurt him though. You won't ever have to worry about him again."  
  
"Oh." She was silent for a long moment, then sighed. "Are you sure? I mean, I could take him out normally, but now my wrist is broken and being tied up usually doesn't help."  
  
"Tina, for Christ's sake, you're safe." Deacon turned onto his side to look at her and cringed inwardly at the terrible wounds on her face. "I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Letting Quinn touch you." He reached forward and brushed his fingertips over her forehead. "You're going to have a scar."  
  
She smiled. "Don't worry about me. I heal well."  
  
They both fell silent and Deacon stared at her, knowing that even in the dim light, her eyes were a stunning blue. They reminded him of the ocean he'd never again see in the sunlight. She fidgeted nervously and tore her gaze away from his. It was in that instant that Deacon realized what was so different about her, why she was always on his mind. He was falling in love with her.  
  
"Impossible," he murmured.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing," he said. "Just talking to myself. Go back to sleep."  
  
Tina grinned. "Promise you won't kill me in my sleep?"  
  
"Don't know if I can do that sweetheart," he said, then smiled at her. "Promise."  
  
Her eyes closed slowly and she drifted into a restless sleep as Deacon watched. The thought of love whirled through his mind and drove him crazy. He was a vampire, he couldn't love a human, he didn't have the capacity to do so. He wanted to have sex with her, he had admitted that to himself from the moment he had laid eyes on her, but falling in love? That wasn't possible, not for him.  
  
Deacon firmly made up his mind and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. He didn't love her, his sexual desires for her were taking over, that was all. He couldn't love her. She was human. He could only love another vampire and even that hadn't happened in all his years. Love for a human was strictly left for humans.   
  
His eyes opened unconsciously and he found himself smiling at her sleeping face. He didn't love her at all.  
  
* * * *  
  
Deacon awoke the next evening to see Tina sitting up on his bedroom, trying to reach the controls for the window. The arm she had chained to the headboard made it difficult for her to move very far and the vampire smiled slightly.  
  
"Feeling the need for some sunlight sweetheart?"  
  
Tina chuckled and shook her head. "It's past eight Deacon, the sun is down. I just wanted something to stare at until you woke up."  
  
He grinned and threw the covers off his bed. "I'm not good enough to stare at?"  
  
Tina turned toward him and grinned back. "Not bad. I like you better with clothes though."  
  
Deacon went to his closet and pulled out a pair of dark pants and a white shirt. As he buttoned it and flipped the collar down, he turned back to her and shot a smile in her direction. "Better?"  
  
Tina shrugged. "I suppose. That is, if you consider a vampire good in the first place."  
  
"You're funny, anyone ever tell you that?" Deacon asked, going to the window and touching the controls to raise the shutters. They rolled up slowly, revealing the darkened night sky, cars racing below and sirens howling in the distance.  
  
"So, what do you plan on doing with me?" Tina asked. "I mean, what am I going to do all day and all night? I might get bored."  
  
Deacon sat beside her on the bed and stared at the sky. "I don't know. I usually go out, but I can't exactly take you with me to a club now, can I?"  
  
"Not unless you want half the club dead," Tina said.  
  
"And I don't want to leave you here by yourself. You'd get bored." He sighed. "And I'm still not too sure about letting Quinn know you're anywhere by yourself and vulnerable."  
  
"I'm not vulnerable," Tina told him. "Or at least I wouldn't be if you wouldn't leave me chained up."  
  
He shrugged. "Sorry sweetheart. I kind of can't risk having you loose in this building. That could cause me a lot of damage."  
  
"Look, I have to head downstairs quickly to talk to a guy . . . a familiar," Deacon said. "I'll take you with me, give you a quick tour and then we'll just hang out. I think some people are coming over later anyway. We'll have fun."  
  
Tina raised her eyebrows in his direction. "Some people? Fun? I'm assuming you mean vampires."  
  
Deacon nodded. "Well, yeah. Who did you think I hung out with?"  
  
She shrugged. "I'm just not so sure I want to spend the night with a group of vampires."  
  
Deacon turned toward and touched her face, examining the marks Quinn had left on her. "You were right, you do heal well." He smiled and dropped his hand. "How about if I promise that we won't be rowdy?"  
  
"Can you promise that?"  
  
He shrugged. "I can try."  
  
"Not good enough Deacon. If you're having a party, just leave me here. I'll be fine," Tina said, leaning back on the bed.  
  
"Hey, I'm not letting you bore yourself to death." Deacon sighed. "Tell you what, I'll take you into the living room, you stay for an hour. If you hate it, I'll bring you back in here for the rest of the night."  
  
Tina sighed. "Half an hour."  
  
Deacon nodded. "Okay, deal. But I have a feeling you're enjoy yourself."  
  
Tina rolled her eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I have a feeling you're very wrong," she murmured. She smiled and shook her head, watching Deacon prepare himself for his party. Tina sometimes thought he knew so much about her, but other times it was as if he knew nothing at all. She hated admitting it to herself, but she enjoyed spending time with the vampire. He wasn't as bad as she had expected him to be, he treated her with respect most of the time.   
  
It drove Tina crazy to admit as much to herself, but sometimes she even found herself attracted to Deacon on some primal level where she just wanted to tear into him. It was easy to restrain herself, especially being handcuffed like she was but every so often she wondered if she really wanted to restrain herself.   
  
* * * * 


	11. Chapter 11

* * * *  
  
Chained to a chair in Deacon's living room, Tina sighed and tried to block out the annoying sounds of vampires laughing and talking, discussing their latest kill. The talking was bad, the music was worse and Quinn had been staring at her since he had walked in the door. Deacon was sitting outside by his pool and a thin woman with short, bleached hair was gently massaging his shoulders as she nipped at his ear.  
  
Tina frowned, her eyes boring into the vampire woman's back. She was suddenly aware of the fact that she was insanely jealous and it shook her to the core. She tore her eyes away from Deacon but found her gaze wandering back toward him unconsciously. With a growl he pushed away the woman with bleached hair and Tina smiled triumphantly.   
  
The woman slapped the back of his head and said something to him that Tina couldn't hear over the music but Deacon was on his feet in a second. He grabbed the woman's arms and yelled something at her before throwing her aside. She nearly stumbled and pitched head first off the roof, but Deacon was watching Tina too intently to notice.  
  
"You were right," he said, unlocking her handcuffs.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"This party is fucking boring," Deacon replied, then took Tina's good hand in his and led her back to the bedroom. "What do you say I take you out for dinner?"  
  
She cast a smile in his direction as he closed the door behind them. "Dinner? In a real restaurant?"  
  
"In a real restaurant," he confirmed.  
  
Tina nodded, smiling and gently rubbing her wrist where the handcuff had been. "How can you be sure I won't run off?"  
  
Deacon shrugged. "Just a feeling I have." He turned toward the closet. "We have to find you something else to wear though, my clothes don't really suit you."  
  
Tina walked up behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Why not?" she asked, staring into the rows of clothing. It suddenly occurred to her that she was nearly the same height as Deacon, her body lined up with his perfectly.  
  
"Because you're a woman," he stated simply. "You should be wearing something more . . . womanly."  
  
Tina laughed. "I like your shirt," she said defensively. "It's comfortable."  
  
"It doesn't fit you," Deacon said.  
  
"Sure it does," Tina replied, toying with the buttons. "I think it look sexy."  
  
The vampire slowly turned to face her and he smiled slightly. "It does look sexy. But I think you'd look sexy in anything I decided to put you in."  
  
She crossed her arms over the shirt and pulled it closer. "I'm not taking it off."  
  
"What if I make you?" Deacon asked, smiling playfully.  
  
"How? I'll just kick your ass," Tina said.  
  
With a chuckle, Deacon reached toward her and pulled her arms away from her chest. Tina stumble on the carpet and slammed into him, but he held her shoulders steady and she straightened a moment later, still smiling.  
  
"Way to make me fall," she groused, then met Deacon's eyes.  
  
It became painfully clear to both of them in that moment how close they were standing to each other. Deacon still had his hands on Tina's shoulders and there was very little space between their bodies as she studied his face.  
  
"You have amazing eyes," she said. "Has anyone ever told you that?"  
  
Deacon glanced away. "Electrical yes, amazing . . . no."  
  
Tina smile and touched his chin gently, his eyes meeting hers once more. "Electrical implies not being able to look away because you're forced not to." She smiled. "I can't look away because I don't want to."  
  
Deacon became very conscious of the temperature of the room in that moment, something he had never noticed in his entire life as a vampire. It was stifling almost, the heat and moisture in the air began to weigh down on him as Tina's fingers travelled up his cheek to his forehead. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but he wasn't sure that was what she wanted. Maybe all she wanted was to feel close to someone, maybe her intentions were strictly platonic.  
  
Her fingers were hot, Deacon felt as if his skin was on fire with her touch. Her eyes were deep, a dark blue that contrasted sharply to his pale eyes. He felt lost in them, more lost than he ever had in his entire life. Deacon Frost was a vampire, a leader to those who wanted to rule the humans and now here he was, completely enthralled by one, unable to speak because of her beautiful eyes.  
  
On a whim, Deacon brought his mouth to hers and pressed his cold lips against her. He felt her stiffen under his hands, then relax slightly but her mouth didn't respond. He tried harder, wetting his lips with his tongue and opening his mouth slightly. Just as he began to panic, Tina kissed him back.   
  
Her lips were hot against his, suddenly needy, crushing him beneath her. Deacon reacted almost instantly, his tongue darting out to trace her lips. Without breaking their kiss, Deacon began to walk toward his bed, pulling Tina along with him. She sat on the edge, her hand roaming his chest, pulling urgently at his shirt buttons. Deacon leaned backward, his body pressing down on Tina's as her tongue danced with his flooding his mouth with heat.  
  
His buttons slowly came undone was Tina managed to work them, still passionately kissing Deacon. She pushed the shirt off his shoulders and kissed him hard as his body pressed against hers, her heart beating faster than she had ever though possible. She ran her hand down Deacon's cold chest, fingers brushing over the hair on his chest on their way down to his stomach. Her tongue entered his mouth once more and flicked over one of his fangs.   
  
Tina stopped the kiss and sat up, putting her hand to her mouth. "No," she whispered. "This is a bad idea. You're a vampire."  
  
Deacon stood, knowing he looked just as shocked as Tina did. "And you're a filthy human," he said.   
  
They stared at each other for a long moment before Deacon turned and ran from the bedroom, his hand swiping angrily at his mouth. His shirt fluttered partially behind him, still open and pushed halfway down his arms.  
  
Quinn looked up as Deacon slammed his bedroom door and went to the elevator. The door slid shut behind him and he began to descend. Quinn smiled, then turned his gaze to the bedroom. She would be alone and this would be his perfect chance.  
  
  
* * * * 


	12. Chapter 12

Warnings: Very dark chapter - deals with rape. You've been warned.  
  
* * * *  
  
Tina sat on Deacon's bed staring blankly out the window at the city below. The party still raged on in the rest of the apartment and she was certain that if she chose to attack now she would be able to take out the entire building. She was even more certain that if she wanted to leave, now would be her only chance.  
  
Strangely, Tina didn't move. She remained motionless, staring out the window. Without knowing why, she lowered her head and wept bitterly, tears falling onto the cast on her wrist. She didn't know what was happening to her, but at least part of it was because of Deacon. There was something about him, something about the idea of them together that appealed to her. She wanted to be with him, but at the same time it disgusted her.  
  
The door creaked open and her heart leapt, thinking Deacon had come back. When it had been shut quietly Tina turned with a smile on her face. It faded the instant she saw Quinn in the dim light of the room. She was on her feet in an instant, facing him angrily.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" she snarled.  
  
"Just to chat sweet thing, just to chat," he replied. "I saw our fearless leader go running out of here like you had a big silver stake in your hand. I don't see any weapons though. What made him take off like that?"  
  
Tina glared at him. "What business is it of yours?"  
  
Quinn laughed and took a step toward her. "I think you fucked a little with his mind, didn't you? You made him think you loved him, huh? Is that what you did?"  
  
"I did nothing," Tina said. "Now get the hell out of here."  
  
"I don't think I'm going anywhere baby," Quinn said, edging around the bed to stand in front of Tina. "You know I've wanted you since the first night Deacon brought you home but he told me not to touch you because you were our insurance against Blade." Quinn grinned. "Truth is baby, I think he just wanted to keep you for himself. He wanted to be the only one fucking you."  
  
"You're a pig," Tina spat at him.  
  
"Say what you want, Deacon's gone now. He can't protect you," Quinn said, his eyes roaming over her body. "Might have been better if he'd left you chained to the fucking bed, but I figure a little fight might be nice." He grinned. "So what do ya say sweet thing? Are you gonna just give in to me or are we gonna have to fight it out?"  
  
Tina raised her broken arm and slammed her cast across Quinn's face. Blood dripped from his lip and he spat out a tooth onto the floor.  
  
"I guess that answers my question," he growled,  
  
Before Tina could duck, Quinn slapped her across the face, sending her reeling backward.   
  
She hit Deacon's night table, then used it to support herself as she kicked Quinn in the stomach. The vampire stumbled, then grabbed her shoulders and threw her over the bed.  
  
Tina fell painfully onto the floor and held her broken wrist protectively to her chest. She got to her feet quickly and ducked the fist Quinn had aimed at her face. She used her cast to hit Quinn's face again and he stumbled, falling onto the carpeted floor.   
  
"What're you gonna do baby?" He asked, laughing and getting to his feet. "You're not gonna find a silver stake anywhere here."  
  
"Deacon kept mine," Tina said, running for the bathroom door. She reached in and grabbed the silver stake Deacon had left on the counter, then whirled around to face Quinn once again.  
  
His foot connected with her chest and Tina flew backward into the bathroom. She hit the wall hard and her breath was pushed violently from her lungs as Quinn pressed the heel of his boot against her chest.  
  
"That was pathetic. You mean to tell me that you almost took out Deacon?" He laughed and pressed harder against her chest.  
  
Tina smiled and managed to wheeze out, "Almost."  
  
She raised her hand and plunged the stake into Quinn's ankle as far as it would go. The vampire screamed and backed away, clawing at the staked that was embedded in his leg. He managed to tear it out and fling it away, then limped toward Tina again.  
  
She was struggling to stand and struggling to catch her breath at the same time. Quinn wrapped his hand around her throat and lifted her off the floor, staring into her eyes.  
  
"That fucking hurt," he told her.  
  
Tina scratched at his hands with her fingernails and gasped for air. Quinn stared at her, thinking what it would be like to watch the life be choked out of her. He didn't noticed Tina raising her foot, he didn't realize her intentions until he felt pain flood his groin.  
  
"Fuck!" he screamed, dropping Tina again. She scrambled for the stake as Quinn struggled to remain standing.   
  
She faced him, stake in one hand, an angry sneer marring her face. "I'm sick of you," she said. "I'm sick of dealing with this stupid shit. Get over yourself Quinn. I'd never touch you, even if you were human. You're disgusting."  
  
Quinn growled deeply, then backhanded Tina viciously. She staggered backward and tried to regain her footing but it was too late. Quinn was upon her in an instant, tearing the stake from her hand and throwing it back into the bedroom. Her threw her onto the floor, then pinned her arms above her head with one hand and tore open her shirt with the other.  
  
"I'll make you touch me," he snarled at her, kissing her violently. "I'll fucking make you."   
  
Tina screamed, tried to release herself and tried to kick Quinn. Nothing worked, she had never been so vulnerable in her entire life. The vampire touched her body with his free hand and she shuddered, angry that he was touching her, repulsed by his fingers. Deacon had never felt like that.  
  
As she struggled, Quinn worked off her pants, sliding them down her legs to the floor. She kicked as he neared her feet and slammed one foot into his face. He shook off the blow and grasped her panties, pulling them down as well.  
  
"You don't want to do this," Tina said, tears forming in her eyes. "Deacon will kill you. We both know that. If you just stop now I won't tell him that you tried to hurt me."  
  
"Shut the fuck up," Quinn screamed in her face, undoing his own pants.  
  
Tina thrashed against him, but was unable to break the grip he had on her wrists. Even with the cumbersome cast, he could still pin her down.  
  
"Please," she begged, the tears rolling down her face now. "Please don't. Just don't. I'll do anything, just don't rape me."  
  
"It's time you learned your place bitch," Quinn snarled, then shoved himself into her.  
  
Tina screamed in pain and writhed under him, trying to escape, trying to force him out. Her hips bucked as she tried to pull herself away from him, but Quinn held her steady with one hand and began to slam into her.   
  
The violence with which he raped her shook Tina. His angry grunts filled the room, barely audible above her own screams and as he pounded against her, she felt blood begin to pool beneath her. She felt bruises form on her skin, imprints on her hip from where his hand was locked onto her and the horrible feeling of him being inside her.  
  
Finally her screams stopped and she looked away from the sweating vampire on top of her. She stared blankly at the wall, willing her mind to escape, willing herself to a place where this wasn't happening. Tina tried to slow her heart, wishing she could stop it and kill herself, take herself away from the impossible situation that she was living.  
  
Quinn finished with her and pulled out, buttoning his pants quickly. "You want to have another go bitch?" he hissed near her ear. "Want to try and fight me again?"  
  
Tina didn't respond, she just stared at the wall.  
  
Quinn grinned. "What else could I do to you? What would you hate most of all?" He snickered and pulled her throat to his mouth. Without warning her, without describing to her the pain he was about the cause, Quinn sunk his fangs into her throat.  
  
A thin wail escaped Tina's mouth and she tried feebly to fight him off again. Quinn stayed locked to her throat and drank her blood. When Deacon came home, there would be a surprise waiting for him.  
  
* * * * 


	13. Chapter 13

* * * *  
  
Deacon wandered the busy, crowded streets, thinking about what he had done. On top of scaring Tina, he had basically killed himself if any of the other vampires found out. He'd be dead and that was all there was to it. A vampire and a human could never be together, it was wrong for all the obvious reasons. But something in the back of his mind told him there were less obvious reasons; reasons for it to be right.  
  
As he walked, his shoulder smacked against a young woman and he glanced up. She looked nothing like Tina, yet she reminded him of her. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail and her eyes were huge and brown. She was taller than Tina, thinner too and her facial structure was more precise and tiny. Yet something about her drew Deacon's eyes to her face.  
  
She was walking hand in hand with a young man, smiling gently at her boyfriend.   
  
"Sorry," Deacon mumbled, then turned to walk away.  
  
"Frost," the woman said quietly.  
  
Deacon turned back and frowned. "How do you know me?"  
  
Her smile grew wider and he could see the elongated canines in her mouth. "All the vampires know you. Your stupid plot to take over the world. Humans are not cattle."  
  
He sighed. "I've begun to believe that."  
  
The young man cleared his throat. "I think we're proof that vampires and humans can live together in peace. Look at us, we've been together for six year."  
  
Deacon's eyes widened and he stared at the couple. "You're human?"  
  
The young man nodded. "Yes, I'm human. And Jen's a vampire, so you would think it would be wrong."  
  
Deacon's eyes shifted to the vampire. "It doesn't feel wrong?"  
  
She smiled again. "How can love feel wrong?"  
  
"You love a human?"  
  
She nodded. "With all my heart. It is possible to love a human Frost, don't you know that?"  
  
He sighed and glanced away. "I think I do." When he looked back both the human and the vampire were staring at him curiously. "Thank you," he murmured, then turned back toward his apartment.  
  
He would make Tina believe it was right for them to be together. He would make the other vampires believe and if they wouldn't, he would kill them all himself.  
  
* * * * 


	14. Chapter 14

* * * *  
  
Deacon entered his dark apartment and he immediately noticed the heavy stench of blood in the air. The party had since ended, the other vampires had gone home, but the scent of their kills remained. The smells floored him, reached inside his brain and triggered an animal instinct he had almost forgotten to feed over the past few days. His stomach growled angrily and Quinn laughed from where he was sitting on Deacon's couch.  
  
"Hungry Deac?" he asked, still laughing. "If I had known I would have saved you some of mine."  
  
"Hey Quinn," Deacon said, nodding at him. "I need to see Tina." He started off toward his bedroom.  
  
"What for?" Quinn asked. "I mean, you don't really need her, do you?"  
  
He swallowed hard before turning to glance at his friend. "You know, I think I do," he replied, then opened his bedroom door.  
  
The smell of blood hit Deacon hard and he had to grab the doorknob to support himself. He felt his knees buckle and prayed for them to support him as he slowly made his way into the dark room. Without turning on the lights he knew that the room would be painted in blood.   
  
A glance in his bathroom showed him a pool on the floor, slicked in some spots like someone had struggled in it. Whoever had been bleeding that bad had been dragged from the bathroom to his bed where the sheets were thrown back. Blood soaked his mattress and Deacon closed his eyes, relying strictly on his sense of smell to tell him what had happened.  
  
His eyes flew open a second later and he sprinted back to where Quinn was sitting on his couch.  
  
"You fucking monster," Deacon growled, lifting Quinn up by the collar and throwing him halfway across the room. "Mother fucking pig," he screamed, kicking the other vampire in the ribs. "I told you that if you ever touched her again you'd die."  
  
Deacon tangled his fingers in Quinn's hair and yanked him to his feet. "You didn't just touch her though, did you? You fucking raped her!" His fist slammed into Quinn's face. "You raped her you sick fuck and then you killed her."  
  
Deacon dropped Quinn back to the floor and raised his boot to stomp on his face. It was only then that he noticed Quinn was laughing. He lowered his foot slowly and cocked his head, then reached down and pulled the vampire to his feet.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"I did you a favour man," Quinn said, still chuckling. "You can be with her now." He raised one of his hands and pointed over Deacon's shoulder.  
  
He dropped Quinn, then turned to stare into the shadows of his apartment. Tina was sitting in one of the chairs, a hammer in her good hand. She was dressed once more in the jeans and one of Deacon's shirts, smiling gently at him.  
  
"Hey," she said softly.  
  
"Oh fuck you Quinn," Deacon growled. "You turned her? You fucking turned her?"  
  
Tina stood and walked over to him quickly. "Don't worry about it baby. I kicked his ass already."  
  
"You did?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah. Come on, did you really think I'd wake up happy to be a vampire? I'm a hunter for Christ's sake . . . plus he did rape me, twice. I pushed him around a little bit. I was stronger than him before and now," she laughed. "Well, let's just say he won't be giving me anymore trouble."  
  
"Fuck you," Quinn muttered from the floor.  
  
"You already did that sweetie," Tina replied and kicked his face. "Or did you forget?"  
  
Deacon sighed shakily and lowered himself onto the couch. "This is too much."  
  
Tina sat beside him, still toying with the hammer. "Shh my love. I was angry that he did it, but now I understand that it's okay. We can be together now. It won't feel wrong anymore."  
  
"How can love feel wrong?" Deacon asked miserably, quoting the vampire he had met earlier that night. He stared at her. "I could have been with you before. I could have been with a human."  
  
Tina sighed. "Maybe you could have Deacon, but could I? Do you think I really would have let myself fall in love with a vampire?" She shook her head. "And even if I did, you wouldn't last very long. You're bent on dominating the humans, how could you ever love one?"  
  
"I did," he whispered.  
  
"And she's still right here," Tina replied. "Look at me now Deacon," she commanded, then stretched her arm out on the coffee table in front of her. Her cast shone in the moonlight and in her other hand the hammer looked dark and menacing. Without another word to Deacon she slammed the hammer down on the cast, cracking the plaster and peeling it away from her wrist.  
  
He cringed and glanced away, but quickly looked back when the banging stopped.  
  
Tina smiled at him, then held up the arm that had been in the cast. She flexed her hand, bending her fingers and then touched his face.  
  
"Let me be with you," she whispered. In the dim light of the living room, Deacon could see her fangs shining softly. He felt his heart leapt into his throat and a smile made its way quickly across his face.  
  
He lost himself in a kiss moments later, forgetting Quinn was still lying on the floor nearby. Deacon stood, taking Tina with him and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her back to his bedroom. The door slammed behind them and Quinn chuckled again. They would lie in his bed that night, make love in her blood.  
  
Quinn slowly got to his feet and brushed his hair back. What he had done was worth the temporary wrath of Deacon Frost. What he had done had secured himself as the boss' right hand man because he had given him the woman he loved.  
  
Quinn's smile slowly slid off his face. He realized with a start that if Blade found out Tina was dead they were all screwed. He had to find someway to convince the daywalker that she was still alive. Someway to fix this before Deacon realized exactly what he had done.  
  
He ran to the elevator and pressed the down button, concocting a plan as he waited.  
  
* * * *  
  
Notes: Uh oh, Quinn's in trouble now . . . :) 


	15. Chapter 15

* * * *  
  
Quinn switched on Deacon's computer in the basement, then stared at it stupidly for a few minutes. He finally figured out how to connect to Blade's computer and slowly went through the motions he had seen Deacon do many times before. All he had to do was convince Blade that Tina was still alive and the vampire hunter would stay away.  
  
"What do you want?" Whistler growled over the computer and Quinn jumped.  
  
"Uh, Blade." He cleared his throat. "Lemme talk to Blade."  
  
Whistler glared at him. "You're fuckin' lucky your boss got Tina. If she had turned up dead Blade would have killed every one of you bloodsuckers." He turned away without waiting for a response and called for Blade.  
  
"We're not that stupid," Quinn muttered to himself, hoping he could pull off his plan.  
  
"Quinn," Blade grinned. "I figured you were too stupid to work a computer."  
  
"Shut the fuck up," Quinn said, turning away. "Deacon wanted me to keep you updated." He grabbed the girl he had plucked off the street earlier that evening and hoped that she physically looked enough like Tina to fool Blade. There was a blindfold over her eyes and tape over her mouth, so most of her face was covered, but Quinn wasn't certain he had even picked up a girl with the same hair color.  
  
"She's still alive," Quinn said, showing Blade the girl. "So you better stay away."  
  
Blade stared at them both, his eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the girl, then looked back at Quinn. "That's not Tina," he said.  
  
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Quinn asked. "You're damn right it's Tina."  
  
"No it's not," Blade said. "Tina's taller, her hair is longer and darker. And she doesn't have that scar on her chin."  
  
Quinn stared down to find a tiny, silvery mark staring back up at him. "Shit!"  
  
"Where's Tina?" Blade asked.  
  
"She's fine Blade, she's still alive."  
  
"I want proof."  
  
Quinn sighed, throwing his victim aside. "Proof?"  
  
"Yeah. I want to see her. Now," Blade said.  
  
"She's upstairs with Deacon, they're busy," Quinn said, immediately regretting his words.  
  
"Busy?" Blade asked.  
  
"Talking . . . she's uh, trying to talk him into letting her go," Quinn told him.  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
"Fine, they fell in love," Quinn mumbled. "Deacon fell in love with a fucking human."  
  
"But she's not human anymore, is she Quinn?" Blade asked. "Tina and Deacon may have let themselves feel it, but they wouldn't have acted on it. Not unless they were both . . ." he trailed off. "You killed her, didn't you?"  
  
Quinn glanced away and tried to figure out how to break the connection.   
  
"You fucking killed her and now you're trying to figure out a way to fix things before Deacon gets over his happiness and realizes that you turned the insurance into a vampire." Blade glared at him. "Better warn your boss that I'm on my way. And Quinn, I'll have your head for this. I swear to you, I'll have your fucking head!"  
  
Quinn broke the connection a moment later and stepped backward, trembling.   
  
"Shit," he murmured. "Fucking shit!" He turned and ran for the elevator. He had to warn Deacon that Blade was coming, he had to give them time to escape.  
  
* * * *  
  
Tina stretched contently on Deacon's bed, then hopped up and went for the shower. Deacon followed her a moment later, kissing her shoulder as he stepped up behind her.  
  
"We should get this blood off," she said, turning on the hot spray.  
  
Deacon nodded his agreement and reached for the soap. "Remember your first night here?"  
  
Tina smiled. "A lot like this, wasn't it? Well, except for the sex and the fact that I'm not tied up anymore."  
  
Deacon kissed her, cutting off any more words she may have wanted to say. As they kissed they washed the blood off their bodies, then stepped out of the shower.  
  
"I kinda like my new uniform," Tina said after drying herself off and stepping into a new pair of jeans from Mercury's stash of clothing. She went to Deacon's closet and pulled out a dark blue dress shirt, then shrugged it over her shoulders.   
  
"Uniform?" He asked, pulling on his own pants.  
  
"Jeans and one of your shirts," Tina replied, finishing the buttons on the shirt. "I like wearing your clothes. They smell like you."  
  
"And what do I smell like?" Deacon asked, pulling a shirt on and coming over to her.  
  
"Almost human," Tina said, breathing deeply. " There's so much in your smell that I can't describe. It's intoxicating." She smiled, then went to the bedroom door and stepped out.  
  
The elevator doors slid open a moment later and Quinn appeared, nervously twisting his hands.  
  
"You have a visitor baby," Tina said, going to sit in the living room.  
  
"Quinn." Deacon glanced at him. "You better have a damn good reason for being here. You've pissed me off enough for one night."  
  
"Aw shit man . . . I don't even know how the fuck to say this," Quinn sighed. "Jesus, if you don't kill me now, Blade will."  
  
Tina glanced up, her eyes shining. "Blade?"  
  
Deacon growled. "What about Blade?" He frowned at Tina. "And why are you so interested in him?"  
  
"Oh come on," Tina said, walking over to Deacon and running her hands down his chest. "You're gonna tell me I shouldn't be interested? He's my fucking mentor!" A harsh laugh escaped her mouth. "I know his moves baby, I would love to take him on."  
  
"Well, you'll get your chance soon," Quinn said.  
  
Deacon turned to him. "What's that mean?"  
  
Quinn glanced away. "Tina was insurance boss and now Blade knows she's dead."  
  
Deacon stared at him. "And how exactly does Blade know she's dead?"  
  
"I don't fucking know!" Quinn yelled. "I don't know."  
  
Tina chuckled. "Well, how did you find out that Blade knew?"  
  
The elevator doors slid open then causing a hush falling over the three vampires in the room. Blade stood in the neon lights of the elevator, his long sword in one hand.  
  
"Blade," Tina hissed, smiling at him.  
  
He glanced up at her. "Hey Tina."  
  
Tina licked her lips in anticipation, then brought her mouth to Deacon's in a quick, heated kiss.  
  
"I love you," she whispered. "I loved you as human and I love you now." She grinned. "Now let's take him out."  
  
* * * * 


	16. Chapter 16

* * * *  
  
Blade stared at Tina, praying that his uncertainty didn't show. He studied her, wanting to know exactly what it was she had become when Quinn turned her. She looked the same. The same long, dark hair fell in gentle waves down her back, the same lean body clad in jeans and a mens shirt. Her smile turned up slightly more at one corner than the other, a gesture Blade recognized from the years he had spent training with her. Her eyes though, they were different. In them he could see what she had become. He hated Quinn more than anything in that moment, more than the vampire who had killed his mother.   
  
"Getting cold feet?" Tina asked, innocently twirling her hair around one of her fingers. "Come on Blade, you can't be scared of me. You know all my moves, you trained me."  
  
"Shut up," he said, trying not to look at her. He had fallen for that face when he had first met her, yet he had never told her. He would never tell her now, she was a vampire.   
  
"I hadn't planned on this Blade," Deacon said, taking Tina's hand. "I really didn't. She's just irresistible, isn't she? You must have thought about her while you trained her, right?"  
  
"I said shut up," Blade repeated. "By the end of this night Quinn will be dead and I'm sure you two will follow him."  
  
Quinn laughed. "Did you hear this guy? I'll be fucking dead."  
  
Blade swung his sword down and cut straight through Quinn's ankle, easily slicing the bone. The vampire screamed and went down on his knee as his foot dissolved into dust and left a bloody stump behind.  
  
"I'll come back for you later," Blade promised, then went after Tina.  
  
His sword sliced through the air neatly, flying toward her neck. She dropped to the floor immediately, his blade missing her completely and her leg swept under his feet. Blade slammed onto the floor with a strength that shook them all. Tina stood and faced him, her hands up.  
  
Blade stood as well, picking up his sword as he came. Tina kicked the sword and it flew toward Quinn, missing his arm by just inches. He screamed something in Tina's direction but she ignored him and stared at Blade. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth and she punched the side of his face.  
  
Blade spit out blood onto the floor and spun into a high kick that hit Tina's chest. She stumbled backward and Deacon caught her. She smiled at him, kissed his cheek quickly and they faced Blade, side by side.  
  
"You think this scares me?" Blade asked, staring them down. "You know I've anticipated this since I started training you Tina. I won't hesitate to kill you."  
  
She smirked. "So stop talking and kill me."  
  
Blade leapt forward, both fists flying. Deacon grabbed his arm and twisted, throwing the vampire hunter onto the floor. Tina jumped on top of him, grinning and licking her lips.  
  
"I'll bet you taste incredible," she whispered, leaning down.   
  
Blade bucked beneath her and they changed positions as he rolled on top of her. Tina screamed and pounded against his chest, then thrust her knee into his groin. Blade groaned, yet still managed to hold her wrists against the floor. She leaned forward, her fangs gnashing toward his throat. Blade twisted away, then raised one hand and slapped her.  
  
Tina growled and dropped back to the floor.   
  
Within seconds Deacon was on Blade's back, tearing at his throat. The vampire hunter turned with a grunt and threw Deacon away from him. Tina knew that Deacon could easily take on Blade and she was waiting for him to get up and save her.  
  
She watched as he sailed through the air, staring at her helplessly. Deacon knew what was going to happen only seconds before it did. He reached out toward Tina with one hand and he mouthed something that she couldn't see.   
  
It was then that he crashed through the large window in his apartment and fell sixteen storeys to the cement below.   
  
"No!" Tina screamed, reaching out. She knew the fall wouldn't kill him but he wouldn't be walking back up to his apartment any time soon. Without Deacon she wasn't sure she would be able to defeat Blade.  
  
She stood, taking advantage of Blade's distraction and kicked him squarely in the face. He fell backward, then wiped the blood off his face before standing.  
  
"You don't want to do this Blade," she murmured, staring at him. "You loved me. I was your best friend."  
  
"Tina is already dead," he hissed, then reached into his jacket.   
  
Tina tried to dodge the stake, she tried to twist away but the stake slammed home. It strained through muscle and bone before puncturing her heart.   
  
Her eyes widened and she screamed horribly as the silver burned away her flesh. Tina watched her body turning into ash, a fire spreading down her limbs and up her chest. She screamed again as it reached her shoulders and she felt her bones begin to collapse beneath her. Her head hit the ground before it burst into ash and the last thing Tina saw were the handcuffs still dangling from the chair Deacon had chained her to. Even though her heart was already gone she could swear she felt it break. Just before her face collapsed she let out an anguished sob and a single tear slipped down her face.  
  
Blade stared at her ashes, his throat suddenly tight. He knew he'd done the right thing but it hurt so much to have killed Tina. Other than Whistler she had been his only true friend. He would miss her very much.  
  
Refusing to acknowledge his pain, Blade picked up his discarded stake and sword, returning them to their original homes. He then turned and walked out of the apartment, leaving the mess for Deacon to find.  
  
* * * * 


	17. Epilogue

* * * *  
  
Deacon huddled under a blanket and stared at the ash on his floor. Tears streamed down his cold, dead face as he watched over his murdered love. He admitted to himself now that he did love her; he had loved her since she had walked into the bar.   
  
Quinn was standing nearby, watching his leader carefully. His leg had mostly healed, but Deacon was still pretty banged up from his fall. Most of his teeth had shattered when his face had hit the cement, his fangs had yet to grow back completely and he had been drinking blood from a mug for the past few days. Quinn knew Deacon was taking Tina's death very hard, he hadn't even cleaned up her remains from his floor. He left them there and stared at them for hours every day, as if willing her back to life.  
  
"Blade's gonna pay," Deacon hissed that moment. "He's gonna fucking pay."  
  
Quinn nodded. "We'll get him boss, I promise."  
  
"I'll get him," Deacon said. "He killed Tina and he's gonna die too. I'll figure out what the book of Arabus says and I'll raise the fucking blood god." His eyes, still staring at Tina's ashes grew stormy. "When La Magra comes for him, he won't know what hit him."  
  
End  
  
Notes: I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. :) 


End file.
